Conventionally, fixed wing aircraft employ one of two types of landing gear: fixed landing gear and retractable landing gear. Importantly, retractable landing gear provides reduced drag on the aircraft during flight, resulting in higher speed and better fuel efficiency. On the other hand, a retractable landing gear also introduces issues of reliability. Specifically, deployment of the landing gear before touchdown is an operational necessity and is of utmost concern to the pilot.
Typically, retraction and extension of a retractable landing gear is performed by an electromechanical device, such as a linear actuator. While electromechanical linear actuators are relatively simple and reliable, they can fail. When such a failure occurs, the pilot may have to land on the belly of the aircraft fuselage; a dangerous and expensive consequence.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a linear actuator having an electromechanical drive and a back-up pneumomechanical drive. It is another object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic redundant system for deploying landing gear. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a pneumatic blow-down actuator which is easy to use, relatively simple to implement, and comparatively cost effective.